Jazzy Cadets

By Danny Gottlieb

Published November 2009

As I write this, I am still recovering from the awe of watching my
stepson, Scotty Radock, perform in the snare line with the Holy Name
Cadets at the 2009 DCI Finals in Indianapolis. A breathtaking display of
commitment and skill from all involved. Drum corps experience runs deep
in my family, but it was Scotty I turned to for some Cadets licks that
could be applied to jazz drumming. For the following, I suggest playing
two measures of jazz time, similar to Joe Morello’s Rudimental
Jazz.

Ex. 1 contains a five-note grouping adapted from the
following triplet exercise. Ex. 2 contains a Cadets-based triplet
exercise. Ex. 3 is called a Nuch-i-Da (that’s a phonetic
spelling), inspired by Scotty and Cadets instructor Colin McNutt. Please
note that after the first group of five-note patters, the accent shifts
from the first beat to the third. Ex 4 is a Ta-Chi-Buzz, which sounds
great as a jazz fill, and features a diddle with flam on the first note
followed by a buzz. After you learn the basic patterns, I suggest moving
the notes around the drums and substituting the bass drum.